Lunchtime.
Inside the Defense Against the Dark Arts office, Douglas, Lupin, and Sirius were gathered around the table, enjoying lunch and a lively conversation.
Lupin looked to be in high spirits, and his appetite was noticeably better than usual.
"This is incredible. I've never felt this good—almost like I'm dreaming," he said, beaming.
Sirius grinned, genuinely happy for his friend, but then his expression twisted with indignation. "I'd give anything to see Snivellus's face when he finds out how well you're doing. He thinks I don't understand what he's been up to these past few days… Just wait until I get my wand back—"
Suddenly, a sharp knock sounded at the door.
Through the enchanted peephole, Douglas saw that their visitor was none other than Professor Snape.
Douglas exchanged a glance with Lupin and Sirius. Their reactions couldn't have been more different.
He moved fast—before Sirius could even launch into a tirade, Douglas dragged him to the fireplace, shoved him in, and activated the Floo Network. Only Sirius's disgruntled shout lingered in the air:
"Give me my wand…!"
Douglas handed Sirius's dishes to Dobby, instructing, "Keep an eye on him. Don't let him stir up any trouble."
Once Dobby had followed Sirius into the flames, Douglas quickly sealed the fireplace connection. Only then did he approach the door and open it.
The moment the door swung wide, Snape's usually impassive face twisted with a hint of malice. He pushed past Douglas, striding into the room.
Lupin greeted him with a cheerful smile. "Good afternoon, Professor Snape. Have you had lunch? Douglas's cooking is rather good…"
Snape's eyes flicked over Lupin, then to the dishes on the table. His voice was icy. "Out."
Douglas coughed softly, stepping forward. "Professor, is there something you need? Would you care to join us—"
Snape shot him a glare, cutting him off. He turned back to Lupin. "Out. I need to have a… formal"—he all but bared his teeth—"conversation with Professor Holmes."
Lupin shrugged, helpless. "This is Douglas's office, you know. I don't think you can just—"
Snape interrupted again, sneering at Douglas. "Holmes, I'd rather our discussion not be overheard by a werewolf…"
Douglas rubbed his temples, wishing he wasn't caught in the middle of their drama.
Fortunately, Lupin sensed his discomfort and stood up. "Thank you for the meal, Douglas. That was a wonderful lunch. If you need anything, just call me."
Douglas nodded—he understood the subtext. Lupin was worried Sirius might try to come back and cause a scene with Snape.
But Snape only arched an eyebrow. "No need for your pretense. If Holmes needs anything, as his Potions professor, I'll handle it myself…"
Douglas rolled his eyes. Now he's willing to admit I'm his Potions student.
Lupin gave a wry smile and left the office.
Douglas, a bit embarrassed, saw him to the door. When he turned back, he found Snape already standing over the table, wand out, poking suspiciously at the remains of lunch.
"It's just ordinary food," Douglas called from behind. "You're welcome to join me."
Snape ignored him. After confirming that the dishes were indeed mundane, he flicked his wand—whoosh!—and vanished the entire meal. He sniffed disdainfully. "Dining with a werewolf. You really are reckless… Where is it?"
Douglas glared as his lunch disappeared before his eyes.
With a huff, he strode to his cabinet, pulled out a small box, and tossed it to Snape.
He'd anticipated this visit and had set aside some of the Wolfsbane Potion from his last batch.
Snape opened the box and found five vials, each a different color. He uncorked and sniffed each one in turn, then, after a moment's thought, scoffed: "Hmph. You could've solved this with a single cauldron, but you insisted on brewing five different batches… Five times the ingredients for only a tenth more potency. This new formula of yours isn't something a penniless werewolf could afford… And besides, his current state isn't due to the Wolfsbane Potion at all…"
Beneath his cold exterior, Snape's voice betrayed a trace of confusion.
Douglas smiled slyly. "Of course not. Potions alone aren't enough. I combined them with medicinal cuisine—hot pot, to be precise. The real secret was feeding him dragon meat…"
Snape's eyes narrowed as he recalled the dragon meat Douglas had given him as a Christmas present last year. He grunted, then fixed Douglas with a sharp stare. "Holmes… I'm warning you to keep your distance from that werewolf. Has no one told you about his connection to that blasted Black? He's a complete hypocrite…"
As their eyes met, Douglas instinctively slipped into Occlumency. His gaze went blank and unfocused, leaving Snape momentarily speechless.
Douglas sighed. "Professor, I really don't want to be caught up in your old grudges…"
Snape snapped the box shut, his fingers pale, and growled, "Just what do you know… Don't believe a word that man says. He's a liar—a fraud… No wonder Potter thinks Black is a werewolf…"
Douglas let out a long breath. "I know everything I need to know—and plenty I wish I didn't. But none of that matters right now.
What does matter is that class starts in three minutes. In all these years, I've never heard of a Potions Master being late to his own lesson…"
Snape glanced at the clock, snorted, and stalked out with the box of potions, slamming the door behind him.
Douglas stared at the empty plates, muttered a few choice words in Mandarin, then hurried from the office toward the obstacle course.
The course ran along the Black Lake, near the edge of the Forbidden Forest and Professor Sprout's greenhouses, ending at the Holmes Orchard.
With Lupin away these past days, Douglas hadn't wanted to waste morning runs teaching obstacle techniques, so the course had sat unused. Now that the monthly exams were over, he'd scheduled the lower-year practical lessons here.
By the time he arrived, the third-year Hufflepuffs were already assembled. It was the closest class site for them—no endless stairs to climb.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It's a pleasure to see you all out here in the sunshine. But before we begin, there are a few little arrangements to make."
Seeing Douglas's mischievous smile, several students looked uneasy. After all, some Hufflepuffs had failed the Defense Against the Dark Arts monthly exam. They'd been hoping that, since Professor Holmes had brought everyone outside instead of making them stay in the classroom for extra revision, he might let them off the hook. But now, it seemed…
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